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2-6-2009 | Prince talks about his epilepsy

The popular singer Prince revealed a secret in a recent interview on American television: that he had epilepsy as a child.

The seven-time Grammy-winning superstar, who celebrates his 51st birthday later this week revealed in a rare interview that his childhood struggles with epilepsy forced him to be "flashy" and "noisy" to cope with being teased often in school.

"I've never spoken about this before but I was born epileptic," the singer announced. "I used to have seizures when I was young. My mother and father didn't know what to do or how to handle it but they did the best they could with what little they had."

He recalled how as a child he believed intervention from an angel had helped him overcome his seizures.

The reclusive star had previously alluded to epilepsy on the 1992 album track The Sacrifice Of Victor, which contained the lyric: "Epileptic 'til the age of seven." In the CD booklet, the word "true" was printed in mirror writing next to this line.

Despite the obvious impact epilepsy had on his formative years, Prince is living proof that the barriers associated with epilepsy can be overcome. Hopefully his admission will inspire others and who knows; maybe Prince will even take on a role in future helping to change the public's perception of the condition.